BRADENTON, Fla. (March 24, 2017) — Centerstone today announced that Melissa Larkin-Skinner has been named chief executive officer of its Florida operations, effective March 22, 2017. A member of the Centerstone team since 1997, she has served as the organization’s interim CEO since December 2016.

“Melissa has been an invaluable part of our organization for two decades, and I am delighted to have her become our Florida CEO,” said David C. Guth, Jr., chief executive officer, Centerstone. “She has a unique combination of clinical and operational expertise. These strengths along with her experience in addiction treatment, family counseling and crisis services, her dedication to caring for people, and her involvement in and commitment to the local community make her the ideal person to lead our Florida operations.”

Larkin-Skinner, a licensed mental health counselor, has nearly 25 years of experience in mental health and addictions treatment programs including hospital, outpatient, crisis, community-based, forensic, and child welfare services. She joined Centerstone, formerly Manatee Glens, in 1997, serving in a number of roles with the organization including chief clinical officer.

During her tenure at Centerstone, Larkin-Skinner has designed and operated innovative programs to meet community needs, such as the Community Action Teams, which were adopted as a statewide model. “Melissa is passionate about ensuring access to mental health and addiction and committed to Centerstone’s noble purpose of delivering care that changes people’s lives,” said Tim Knowles, chair of the Centerstone Board of Directors. “With her depth of experience at Centerstone, we are confident Melissa will be a great leader for our organization.”

Larkin-Skinner has been recognized for her efforts in the community. In 2016, she was the recipient of the Professional of the Year Award from the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association in recognition of her excellence in the field of alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention services and her efforts to combat the opioid epidemic in Bradenton and surrounding communities.

She earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of South Florida. She received a Master’s of Business Administration, Health/Health Care Administration/Management from Saint Leo University last year.

Centerstone, the tenth largest employer in the Manatee County, provides mental health and addition services to more than 15,000 individuals year including almost 4,000 youth.

About Centerstone

Centerstone, a not-for-profit organization, is one of the nation's largest behavioral healthcare providers. It offers a range of treatment, support and educational programs and services to individuals who have mental health and addiction disorders and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Each year, the organization serves more than 172,000 people of all ages at nearly 200 locations across Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. It also operates the Centerstone Foundation, Centerstone Research Institute, Advantage Behavioral Health, Centerstone Military Services and Centerstone Health Partners. For more information about Centerstone, please visit www.centerstone.org.

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